Owning My Place in Church with Integrity

To finish our January series, “Stronger Me, Stronger Church”, I want to talk about a fundamental part of church life: integrity. Integrity could be described as wholeness of character. It is being who you say you are at all times, regardless of whether you are being watched or not. Merriam Webster defines integrity as firm adherence to a code of especially moral or artistic values: incorruptibility.

Being a person of integrity means that your yes is a yes and your no is a no, regardless of circumstances. Jesus put it this way:

“But let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’ For whatever is more than these is from the evil one.” – Matthew 5:37, NKJV

Why Does Integrity Matter?

Integrity matters for a number of reasons. One of the most important being that Jesus has commanded us to live with integrity, as Matthew 5:37 states. Integrity matters because our lives matter to God. He cares about our innermost being and about our public life. When there is a discrepancy between these, we hurt ourselves and those who surround us.

This is particularly true when we belong to a local church. When we give our lives to God, we become part of a family. And God has called us to become a glorious family, not a dysfunctional one. This is why it is imperative that we live uncorrupted, whole and honest.

Ephesians says it this way:

“Therefore, putting away lying, ‘Let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor,’ for we are members of one another.” – Ephesians 4:25, NKJV

We are members one of another. As a church, we belong to Christ and each other. Therefore, if we are living uncommitted, corrupted, broken and dishonest lives we are not only hurting ourselves, but we are hurting others.

What Does Integrity Look Like?

Integrity looks like congruent wholeness in every aspect of our lives. It means that we do not change who we are depending on the context we are in. It means that the person I am with my family is the person I am with my friends. The person I am at work is the person I am at home. It also means that who I am during the week has to align with who I am on a Sunday morning in church.

Unfortunately, this doesn’t always line up. I bet you know someone who acts completely different inside church than they do outside. But before we point fingers, do you act that way too?

Some months back, in a leadership training class I was taking, our instructor defined trust like this: “I am who I say I am and I do what I say I will do.” She mentioned that whenever these things don’t line up, trust is broken. I believe this applies to integrity as well. Being a person of integrity means that I am who I say I am, and I do what I say I will do.

Integrity looks like commitment, trustworthiness and reliability.

What Happens When There is a Lack of Integrity?

When there is a lack of integrity, we not only affect ourselves but the entire body. Paul, in 1 Corinthians 12, spoke about how we are all one body, comprised of many parts. This means that if one part is aching or has an issue, the rest will be affected and in turn weakened. I believe that many churches don’t grow strong because of a lack of commitment and integrity from individuals. It’s almost as if we have a body with a great Head (Christ) but full of feeble muscles. A weak body will not be effective in establishing the kingdom of God.

Unfortunately, this happens in churches very often. One member lacks integrity in their speech, they say something hurtful around someone, and then gossip is unleashed, hurting countless other members. A volunteer lacks integrity in their commitment, and soon others see and follow his example.

This is an unfortunate cycle that repeats itself time and time again. Instead of strengthening each other as members of the same body, our lack of integrity promotes our weaknesses, which in turn  are replicated in others.

We must remember, that like Paul said, we are members of one another.

How Can I Be a Person of Integrity?

Jesus calls us higher. He isn’t a king who will conform with children who settle for mediocre lives, lacking the true sharpness and edge of well trained disciples. As such, we must learn how to live lives of integrity and take ownership of our place in church.

If you were fully committed to God and your local church, what would your life be like? If every member in your local church fully committed to God and their local body of believers, what would your city look like?

I believe that transformation is possible, but it requires true integrity and responsibility taken by each individual. Practically, what does this look like?

Be who you say you are

I’ve already mentioned this, but I will repeat it for the sake of emphasis. If you want to be a person of integrity, then be who you say you are.

Do what you say you will do

If you say you will volunteer, do it. If you say you will read your Bible, do it. Whatever you say, do it. If you don’t, not only will you break trust, but you will weaken yourself as a member of the body of Christ.

Be the same person everywhere you go

Like I’ve mentioned, if you’re at home, then be sure that person is the same person who showed up on Sunday to church. And make certain that the person who showed up to church on Sunday is the same that shows up to work on Monday. Faith is a life, not a moment. Discipleship is forever, not for an hour.

Hold yourself up to the highest standard, not the lowest

It can be easy to set standards based on the standards of the people around us. But many times, other people will have a lower standard or a different boundary than what the Holy Spirit is currently requiring of us. If that is the case, don’t ever lower yourself to the easier standard. To be a person of integrity, go with the personal standard God has given you on any given situation and don’t lower it out of convenience. If you have a friend and they have a higher standard than you on a certain topic, don’t bring them lower to your standard, rather lift yourself up to theirs. Why? Because we are members of one another, and the Bible is clear on not making others stumble through what we perceive as freedom. 

“Therefore let us not judge one another anymore, but rather resolve this, not to put a stumbling block or a cause to fall in our brother’s way.” – Romans 14:13, NKJV

While Paul was addressing disputable matters among Christians in the book of Romans, the principle here is the same. We should not put a stumbling block or a cause to fall in our brother’s way.

Let your yes be yes, and your no be no

Finally, let your yes be yes and your no be no. This is what Jesus said, and with it he had a warning: “For whatever is more than these is from the evil one.” That is a strong word! Jesus is saying that adding to our yes, or to our no, means that we do not resemble Him, rather the enemy. Think about it, Christ-like people are committed, the enemy is not. Who do you want to be like?

Own Your Place With Integrity

Jesus has called us to be people of integrity who are a blessing to all those who surround us. In order to be a blessing, we must own our place with integrity. When you go to church, have integrity. When you talk with others, have integrity. Whatever you do, show up as the strong person who is there not to weaken others but to lift them up and call them higher.

Yes, it will be challenging. No, you won’t always be perfect at it. But remember: hold yourself to a high standard. If you fall, remember that there is grace available. Then, get back up again. Determine not to fall twice in the same hole.

You’ve been entrusted with the gift of a place in the body of Christ. Own it with joy and responsibility. Be a light to others, not a rock in the dark. Take your place in your local church, love your leaders, brothers and sisters, and serve with ownership, wholeness and truth.

Final Note

My prayer is that through this mini-series you have been challenged to become a stronger version of yourself so that, in turn, you can strengthen the body of Christ. I pray that you set your expectations in the right place, that you feel an urgency to not only be a disciple but a discipler, and that you feel equipped to learn from feedback and forgive others. I pray that you feel a call to own your place in your local church with integrity. May you remember that faithful is He who has called you. Go and be a strong believer!

Thank you for joining me for this January series! I look forward to staying in touch with you through more faith related posts as well as more devotional style content and bookish thoughts.

Thanks for reading!

Anna

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Photo by Simon Takatomi on Unsplash